What We Learned – Socceroos squad announcement for November friendlies

What We Learned – Socceroos squad announcement for November friendlies

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Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglu announced his squad for the upcoming home game against Kyrgyzstan on Thursday November 12 before an away clash against Bangladesh five days later.

Currently sitting in second place in their group with four games to play, hopes are high the Socceroos will be able to advance to the next stage with a perfect run home.

“While the performance and result in Jordan were not what we hoped for we are still in a good position to progress to the next round of qualifiers at the top of the group,” Postecoglou said.

“We have three matches at home and nothing changes with the way we are approaching the next two games.”

The status of the Bangladesh game is uncertain due to the increased threat of terrorism, with postponement or a change to a neutral venue likely.

The Jedi returns – so does Mat Ryan

Can you hear the Star Wars music swelling in the background as the text of the Socceroos squad rolls up along the screen? The Jedi is back! Australia’s captain returns to the team having missed the last two international breaks with a hamstring injury. Postecoglu has also brought back goalkeeper Mat Ryan who missed time with a knee injury suffered on club duty in Spain. Jedinak is short on minutes, having played half an hour in Crystal Palace’s 3-1 loss to West Ham before a quarter of an hour in their 1-0 loss to Leicester City on the weekend. As the captain, he may receive the benefit of the doubt and be thrown into the starting lineup in Canberra but, by the same token, Postecoglu could be unwilling to take the risk. Ryan on the other hand has not played since the end of August but will almost certainly start.

Who missed out?

Gone from the previous squad are Luke Brattan, who only just signed with Manchester City this week as well as Adelaide pair Eugene Galekovic and Tarek Elrich. Each of these omissions are justifiable. Brattan did not see any time on the field in the last camp and was unlikely to get any minutes this time around, so giving him time to find his feet with Bolton (who he was loaned to after signing with City) makes sense. Galekovic is suffering from injury and is not playing for Adelaide, while his teammate Elrich was dropped after a shaky showing in Jordan.

Elrich misses out despite some great early season A-League form
Elrich misses out despite some great early season A-League form

Josh Risdon gets his chance

With right-back Ivan Franjic still unavailable for selection, Perth Glory full-back Josh Risdon has been called into the squad to audition for the spot. Unlike the last debutant called into the team (James Meredith), Australian fans will have heard of Risdon thanks to his exploits in the local league.

“Josh’s selection is a reward for his form with Perth Glory. He has been on our radar for a while now, he’s started the season well so we’ll bring him to see how he fits into the environment in a position we have been open in suggesting we need to create more depth,” Postecoglu said.

There is a prototype for a Socceroos right-back in the current systen, a pacey ball player who can get forward and either deliver the final ball in from a cross, shoot or even dribble in and get close themselves. With Franjic battling injuries over the last two plus years Postecoglu has tried a variety of different options but has never quite been sold on a Ryan McGowan who provides a more defensive presence or an Elrich who has been up and down. Now Risdon will get his chance to make the position his own if he can play well.

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A-League impact

While it is a great individual achievement for Risdon to make the Socceroos squad, his Perth Glory teammates will have to cover for his absence as he misses the match against Brisbane Roar at Suncorp Stadium. The hosts there will also be missing their captain Matt McKay, however, their midfield depth should cover them for that game. On Friday night, Melbourne City will have to cover for Aaron Mooy – who was called the best player in the A-League per quotes distributed by Fox Sports – which suggests that he will be a regular feature for the long term with the Socceroos.

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